Stapling machine



Feb. 16, 1932. I w, RAEBURN Y A1,845,186

STAPLING MACHINE yFiled May 1, 1930 :Tsi

BY m

ATTORN EYS Patented Feb.. 16, 1932 i STATES WILLIAM RAEBURN, F NA'IERBIJ'RY,4 CONNECTICUT, VASSEIIGrN'OIEt T0 THE HOGE MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION 0F NEW YORK STAPLING MACHINE Application filed May 1, 1930. Serial Noa 448,842.

A tained, will be readily understood from the following description and accompanying drawings, in Which.-

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view, artly in elevation, of a stapling machine emodying the features of my invention in their preferred form;

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view of the same;

Fig. 3 1s a front view of a portion of the machine, with the base, anvil and work support shown in transverse section;

Figs. 4 and 5 are sectional views on an enlarged scale taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2, showing a portion of the staple driver and associated parts of the machine in dierent stages of operation;

Fig. 6 is a detail view corresponding to a portion of Fig. 5, but on a still larger scale;

Fig. 7 is a detail sectional View, taken substantially on the line 7--7 of Fig. 8, with certain parts removed;

Fig- 8 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 9 is a detail sectional plan view of a portion of a staple pusher and staple driver.

rThe stapling machine illustrated in the drawings 1s provided with a staple driver 2 which is mounted in a head 4 on one end of an arm 6 having its other end pivoted on a base- 8, the arm and head being pressed upwardly by means of a spring 9 interposed between the arm and base. The base 8 is provided with an anvil 10 and a resilient work-support 12.

The staple driver 2 comprises a flat bar having three blades 14, and 16 secured to the front side thereof by screws 18, the blades being respectively arranged one in front ofV stantially -is supported on a track-bar 34.

the other, and preferably being spot-welded together. The intermediate blade 15 is subof the Width of the staples 20, while the other two blades 14 and 16 are of somewhat narrower width. The staple driver with its said blades are mounted to slide in a guide-way formed by a groove in the head 4 and a face or front plate 22 secured by screws 24 to the head 4. Packing strips 26 are interposed between the front plate 22 and the head and have their inner edges arranged adjacent the longitudinal edges of the foremost pressed upwardly by means of a coiled spring 28 having one end received in a socket in the head 4 and its other end received in a socket in the under side of a knob 30 secured to the upper end of the staple driver, the upward movement of the staple driver under the action of the spring 28 being limited by the head of one of the screws 18 engaging the upper end wall of a slot 32 in the front plate 22, the head of the screw extending through this slot. y

rllhe staples 20 used in the machine may be of wire and secured together by means of adhesive as customary. rlhestrip of staples The staples straddle the bar, with the cross-bar of the staples resting upon the top surface of the bar which is provided wtih three longitudinal extending grooves 35. The track-bar is secured by screws 36 and a pin 37 between the side plates 38 of the arm 6 which plates may be cast integral with the head 4 and are provided with inwardly extending flanges 39 extending over the bar 34. Packing strips 40 are interposed between the sides of the trackbar 34 and the side plates 38. rIhe upper longitudinal edges of these packing strips 40 are spaced a suitable distance from the top surface of the track-bar 34 to provide spaces for the legs of the staples, the ends of the legs of the staples being arranged adjacent the upper edges of the packing strips. Guide strips- 42 of spring metal are interposed between the packing strips 40 and the side plates 38, the upper portions of the guide strips 42 being in guiding engagement with the sides or legs of the staples. The forward ends of blade 16. The staple driver is l the-se guide strips 42 are positioned adjacent the rear sides of the packing strips 26 in the head.

The strip of staples is urgedforwardly on the track-bar 34 by means of a pusher 44 which is of sheet metal bent into channelform so as to permit it to slide on the trackbar 34. This pusher 44 is provided with the usual finger-piece 46 by means of which the pusher may be withdrawn when it is desired to insert a new strip of staples. The staple pusher is yieldingly pressed forwardly to feed the staple strip by means of a flat spring 48 having one end secured to thetop of the pusher and its other end portion coiled about a stud 50 in a socket 52 in the head 4.

A block 54 is mounted to slide in a transverse slot in the forward end of the track! bar 34 and is pressed forwardly by means of a coiled spring 56 engaging the rear side of the block and mounted in a socket in the track-bar. The front surface of ,the block 54 is provided with a transverse groove 58 adapted to receive the cross-bar of a staple, and the portion 49 of the front surface of said block above the bar is inclined upwardly and rearwardly as shown.

When the staple driver is in raised position, the lower end of the inner or rear driver blade 14 is spaced a distance above the topI surface of the track-bar34; the lower end of the driver blade 15 is arranged adjacent the upper forward edge of the tension block 54, and the lower end of the blade 16 projects a slight distance below the lower end of the blade 15. l

With this construction, during the downward movement of the staple driver, the lower end of the rear blade 14 severs the foremost staplefrom the strip and carries it downwardly therewith. The lower end of the blade 15 during this movement of the staple driver engages the inclined surface 49v of the tension block 54- so as to force the block rearwardly a sulicient distance to permit this blade to pass by the block and position the inclined surface 49 in the path of the rear blade 14. The lower end of the blade 14 then engages the inclined surface 49 and further retracts the block to allow the cross-bar of the staple carried by the blade 14 to be deposited in the groove 58. During the retracting or upward movement of the staple driver, the severed staple is retained in said groove 58.

When the staple driver is again pressed downwardly the lower end of the blade 15 retracts the block by engagement with the inclined surface 49, removes the staple from the groove 58 and forces it through the work on the work support 12 and clinches it on the anvil 10. At the same time as this staple is carried downwardly by the blade 15, the next staple of the strip is severed therefrom by the lower end of the rear blade 14 and deposited in the groove 58 of the tension block 54. As each staple is moved downwardly first bythe blade 14 and then by the blade 15 it is yieldingly engaged between the forward end p0rtions of the guide strips 42 and is further guided by the lower end portions of the packing strips 26 and the forward ends of the packing strips 40, the latter being curved upwardly and rearwardly as indicated at 60. The projecting lower end of the blade 16 ensures that the cross-bars of the staples are maintained in proper engagement with the lower end of the driver blade 15 as the staplesv are being driven through the work. Thus the severed staple is so guided as to insure it being maintained in proper upright position as it is presented to the work, and there is no danger of it becoming bent or distorted.

It will be apparent that the inner blade 14 does not deposit a severed staple in the groove 58 in the tension block 54,until the staple driver reaches the limit of its full downward stroke toset the staple previously removed from the strip. If the downward stroke of the staple driver is not completed, but is suthcient to remove a staple from the strip but not suiiicient to deposit it in the groove 58, it will be retained by the spring guide strips Y42 in the position moved, until the next full downward stroke of the staple driver, whereupon it will be deposited in said groove, it being then necessary to again make a complete stroke of the staple driver before this staple is removed from the groove and forced into the work. In case of an incomplete downward stroke of the staple driver such as to cause the driver blade 15 to remove the staple from the groove 58 in the tension block operated to apply the staple to the work, the` staple strip being thus blocked by the severed staple until the staple is carried down past the groove 58.

Thus, it will be apparent that with this construction there is no danger of the staples becoming clogged in the machine owing to incomplete downward' strokes of the staple1 driver, and that the severed staple is effec tively lunder control at all times until it has been finally set in the work.

The grooves 35 in the top of the track-bar 34 have been found to cause the adhesive to be broken away easily and smoothly as the taples are sheare-d off the front end yof the ln order to prevent the lower end of the inner blade 14 from injuriously striking the forward end of the staple pusher 44 in case the staple driver is inadvertently operated after the staples have become exhausted, the forward end of the top wall of the pusher is rovided with a slot 62 of slightly greater width than the driver blade 14 so that the lower end of said blade 14 may pass down through said slot. Also, this clearance slot 62 permits the driver to be operatedto ensure there are no staples left in the machine.

ln the illustrated construction the base 8 is made of spring metal and has upwardly turned lugs 64 arranged adjacent the opposite sides of the guide strips 42, the side plates 38 `being cut away to provide clearance for the lugs. rlhe arm G is pivoted to the lugs 64 by means of a screw 66 which extends through apertures in the lugs 64, strips 42 and trackbar 34, a nut 67 being provided on the end of the screw.

The base plate has its forward end portion bent upwardly and then downwardly to provide thework support 12, a portion of the plate being cut away at 68 to provide hingelike portions 70 which add to the resiliency of the work support. rlhe base rests on the underside of the hinOfe portions 70 and a downwardly turned 11p 72 on its rear end. rlhe resiliency of the base has a cushioning effect to absorb the jar of operating the staple driver.

As will be evident to those skilled in the art, my invention permits various modifications without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

What l claim is:

1. A stapling machine having, in combination, a base, a head movable toward and from the base, staple feeding means, a staple driver mounted in the head comprising two blades, and a forwardly spring-pressed block mounted in the head having a transverse groove adapted to receive the cross-bar of a staple, said driver blades and spring-pressed block being suitably arranged so that during the movement of the driver in one direction the rear blade severs the foremost staple from a staple strip and deposits it in the groove in said block, and during the next movement of the driver in. said direction the forward blade removes the staple from the groove in the block and carries it toward the work.

2. A stapling machine having, in combination, a. base, a head movable toward and from the base, staple feeding means, a staple driver mounted in the head comprising two blades arranged one in front of the other, the rear blade acting during the movement of the driver in one direction to remove the foremost staple from a staple strip and move it into a predetermined position, and means comprising a spring-pressed block for retaining the staple in the position thus moved and together with the foremost blade constructed and arranged so that during the neXt movement of the `driver in said direction the forward blade will remove the staple from the spring-pressed block and move it toward lthe work.

3. A stapling machine having, in combination, a base, a head movable toward and from the base, staple feeding means, a staple driver carried by the head comprising two blades arranged one in front of the other, the lower end of the rear blade being spaced a distance above the lower end of the forward blade whereby during movement of the driver in one direction the lower end of the rear blade acts to remove the foremost staple from a staple strip and carry it to a predetermined position, and means for yieldingly retaining the staple in the position moved constructed and arranged so that during the next movement of the driver in said direction the lower end of the forward blade removes the staple from said holding means and carries it toward the work.

4. A stapling machine having, in combination, a base, a head movable toward and from the base, staple feeding means, a staple driver carried by the head acting during the movement thereof in one direction to remove the foremost staple from a staple strip and carry it to a predetermined position and during the next movement thereof in said direction to move the staple from said position and carry it toward the workand to simultaneously remove the next staple from the strip and carry it into said position, and means for yieldingly retaining each staple in said position.

5. ln a stapling machine of the type comprising a base, an arm pivotally mounted on the base atv one end and carrying a head at its other end, a. staple driver mounted in said head, and an anvil mounted on the base, the improvement which comprises a base made of spring metal having its end portions turned downwardly soA as to permit it to yield during the operation of setting a staple.

6. In a stapling machine of the type comprising a base, an arm pivotally mounted on the base at one end and carrying a head at its other end, a staple driver mounted in said head, and an anvil mounted on the base, the improvement which comprises a base made of sheet spring metal with its forwardfend bent over upon itself to provide a yielding work support.

7. ln a stapling machine of the type comprising a base, an-armpivotally mounted on the base at on end and carrying a head at its other end, a staple driver mounted in said head, and an anvil mounted on the base, the improvement which comprises a base made of sheet metal having its forward end portion bent over to provide a work support, the

bent over portion being cut away between its ends to provide resilient hinge portions.

8. In a stapling machine of the class described having a staple pusher and a staple 5 driver blade, the staple pusher being arranged to feed a stri of staples longitudinally to position the oremost staple beneath the driver blade, the improvement which comprises a slot in the forward end of the 1o pusher through which the lower end of the driver blade is adapted to pass.

1n testimony whereof, I have signed my A name to this specification.

WLLIAM RAEBURN.

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